United Church of God

Letter From Dan Preston - January 13, 2023

Letter From Dan Preston

January 13, 2023

 

Greetings all and Happy Sabbath! Tomorrow, we will begin our Booklet Discussion with a potluck in Columbia on the New Covenant: Does It Abolish God's Law? Hopefully you've all had a chance to read the Introduction and the first two chapters, God's Magnificent Series of Covenants and A New Covenant for Transforming the Heart. Charlotte and Hickory will have potlucks and the Booklet Discussion next week, January 21st.

 

What's a Covenant?

 

Most people don't use the word covenant very often. Yet, we enter into covenants, or agreements, all the time. A covenant is a faithful promise between 2 or more parties to do something. If you buy a house, you covenant with a loan company to pay them a certain amount of money each month. If you faithfully do so, they will give you the deed to your home when your loan is paid off. If you buy a product with a 30 day warranty, you and the manufacturer have entered a covenant of sorts. In exchange for your money (likely through a middleman such as a store or online retailer), the company covenants that if your product doesn't work, they'll replace it at no charge within 30 days.

 

Then there are more serious covenants like marriage. A marriage is a 3 person agreement between you, your spouse and God, that you will love and each other as physical beings, with your focus being on God. And of course the most important covenant we enter into is at baptism, when we become partakers of the New Covenant.

 

Why covenant?

 

So why enter into a covenant? As explained in the examples of buying a physical item, there's a benefit for both sides. A company or bank makes a profit, and you receive a physical item that is useful, a toothbrush, groceries or a house perhaps.

 

In the covenant of marriage, the human beings involve receive numerous benefits - affection, companionship, family and more. But what does God get out of that covenant?

 

Certainly, it would seem He receives pleasure at seeing our happiness. But there is more to it than that. Families grow from the union of a marriage, and God is all about families. He wants, and is indeed building, the biggest family that can or will ever be - the God family! Of course our baptism covenant is tied directly to this goal as well, making us joint heirs with Christ in the Kingdom.

 

Terms and conditions

 

Covenants have requirements for both parties. In the example of a mortgage, a specific amount must be paid by a specific time. Likewise, if you overpay a little each month and pay your loan off early, the loan company must refund you any excess interest you paid. And of course when you fulfil your financial obligation, they are legally obligated to hand over full ownership of your home to you.

 

God's covenant with us has terms and conditions as well. While we can't earn salvation, Obedience to His law is an obvious one for us (Deuteronomy 10:12-13, John 14:15). Not only is it a requirement, it is actually for our benefit.

 

God is bound by this covenant as well. Again, He doesn't owe us anything, eternal life is a gift (Ephesian 2:8-9). Perhaps a better phrase would be, God is faithful to our covenant. He is faithful to forgive (1 John 1:9), and graft us into the inheritance of the Kingdom (Luke 12:32, Romans 8:14-17).

 

While banks, stores and even people may only enter into covenants for what they can get out of it, we can be thankful and rejoice that the covenant God offers is done out of love and for what He can give us!